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Topic: The Sing-Off 2 (Read 3831 times)

This is the second season of The SingOff, which has at the start 10 a cappella groups from around the U.S. competing for a $100,000 prize. 2 groups were eliminated last night, I believe 2 more will be on Wednesday, then 1 to 2 on Monday and Wednesday of next week and finally a finals the following week.

The 10 teams are:

The BackbeatsLos Angeles, Californiaa cappella singers from the University of Southern California and the University of California Los Angeles, this group of 5 male and 5 female 20-somethings incorporates their disparate styles and tastes into one synthesized sound, fused together by their love of pop, R&B and soul

Eleventh HourKettering, Ohio High Schoolthe youngest group in the competition, 4 females and 3 males

Pitch SlappedBoston, Massachusettsmusic teachers and students from the Berklee School of Music, 7 males and 5 females

Groove For ThoughtSeattle, Washingtona jazz/R&B group with a father/daughter duo included, 2 females and 5 males

Men of NoteCherry Hill, New Jersey8 males with sports backgrounds, graduates of Cherry Hill High School West

Jerry Lawson & Talk of The TownOakland, CaliforniaJerry spent decades with the Persuasions and it making his comeback as the lead singer with 5 other very talented, smooth singers

The Whiffenpoofs of YaleNew Haven, Connecticut12 males from the original a cappella group in 1909

The host is Nick Lachey, who does a decent job. The judges are Shawn Stockman from Boys II Men, Nicole Scherzinger (recent Dancing with the Stars winner) and Ben Folds from Nashville. Shawn and Nicole mostly fawn over the groups like Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson used to on American Idol and Ben reminds me of Simon Cowell with his straight talk.

The first night had five groups compete for 4 spots in the next round, then the other 5 competed for the 4 remaining spots. The eliminated groups were Men of Note and Pitch Slapped, which I think was good judgment by the judges. On the Rocks is also weak and is likely to be eliminated on Wednesday. The final round will be judged by the TV audience.

There are two groups that I expect to make it to the finals. It is almost unfair to have Jerry Lawson, a consummate professional, competing against amateur groups. The one group that has a chance is The Whiffenpoofs of Yale University, who have lush harmony, excellent dynamics and obviously know what they are doing. I think they may capture the imagination of the audience in the final vote tally.

The competition continues to be interesting. Some groups stick to one style that they do particularly well and others try to showcase their diversity, sometimes with disastrous results.

We start with two halves of 4 groups each and the 2009 Sign-Off 1winning group NOTA performing in between. Here were the results:

On the RocksStreet Corner Symphony11th HourJerry Lawson and Talk of the Town

In this first group the class act was Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town, who judge Ben Folds challenged to expand their performances beyond their genre (which they own). Street corner Symphony is performing well. I felt On the rocks had great choreography, but was somewhat marginal on singing talent. HOwever, the judges found 11th Hour the weakest, so they were selected to perform their exit song.

The second group:

BackbeatsCommittedGroove for ThoughtYale U. Whiffenpoofs

The Whiffenpoofs went outside of their genre and were punished accordingly. They were trying too modern pop music when they should have stuck to the older, more traditional a cappella pieces that they own. The other 3 groups are all about equal in talent. The Whiffenpoofs were eliminated and performed their exit song.

The next episode will be Monday Dec. 13 but the first two are already up on the www.nbc.com Videos website. Each of the 6 remaining groups will perform twice in 2 hours. That should be interesting.

The third episode of Sing-Off 2 was televised last night. As in the prior one, I came away disappointed in the judging. With 6 teams left at the start, the team eliminated was Groove for Thought while On the Rocks rolled on. On teh Rocks dances with great energy and sings OK, but this is a singing contest, not a choreography contest. Groove for Thought sang exquisitely, with its only flaw being to not choose a really rock music song for their first of 2 performances (the second was for a "Guilty Pleasure" and allowed more latitude). However, the judges picked what to my ears was the wrong team to survive.

There was little question that Committed, Street Corner Symphony, Back Beats and Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town would move ahead. Jerry Lawson sang an unusual version of "I Can't Get No - Satisfaction" that was outstanding.

Two teams will get the ax tomorrow night , leaving only 3 in this competition. I predict those remaining will be Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town (they could have mailed them the check before this competition ever started), Street Corner Symphony and Committed. What distinguishes all of them are lush harmonies and a strong lead singer.

Tonight was the time for 5 teams to get reduced to 3. Each group would sing a one-group medley and then do a song picked specifically by the judges to showcase them.

The groups did these medleys:

Lady Gaga - BackbeatsUsher - CommittedElton John - On the RocksBeatles- Street Corner SymphonyOtis Redding - Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town

The judging resulted in On the Rocks being eliminated. Since they had already overstayed, I thought that was fair.

The second round of performances was a single song chosen for each group to showcase them. These were:Backbeats - "Landslide" by Fleetwood MacCommitted - "Let's Stay Together" by Al GreenStreet Corner Symphony - "Down on the Corner" by Creedence Clearwater RevivalJerry Lawson and Talk of the Town - "House of the Rising Sun" by The Animals

Committed and Street Corner Symphony were judged worthy of the Final 3. It was down to Backbeats and Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town for which would move ahead and which would go home. Nick Lachey announced that the Backbeats were safe, which left Jeffy Lawson in stunned silence. then, Nick redeemed the judges by announcing that all teams had advanced, with the judges deciding each group had done so well that the TV audience should decide which group would win. These teams are all excellent a capella groups, but to me it is a no-brainer - Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town for the win.

Personally I don't think Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town will win. I think younger people will not vote for them. I would think it will be between Committed and Street Corner Symphony. If the truly YOUNG voters vote then it could be Backbeats. I didn't watch the first season but enjoying this season.

Personally I don't think Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town will win. I think younger people will not vote for them. I would think it will be between Committed and Street Corner Symphony. If the truly YOUNG voters vote then it could be Backbeats. I didn't watch the first season but enjoying this season.

Agree with everything you said. I like Jerry Lawson but think they sound too much the same all the time. The other groups seems to have more range or something?

True, it has a terribly punny Nick Lachey as host. But that’s why God created the DVR, or, more to the point, the fast-forward button.

Ratings have been consistently strong over the show’s abbreviated run, but if you haven’t tuned in, that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying the finale tonight at 8.

Ten groups from across the country (including the Cherry Hill-based Men of Note, the Whiffenpoofs of Yale, the world’s oldest collegiate a cappella group; and the exquisitely named Pitch Slapped of Boston’s Berklee College of Music) have now been narrowed to four by the unusually coherent — by reality show standards — judging panel of musician Ben Folds, Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger and Shawn Stockman of Boys II Men. Okay, so Scherzinger comes off like Paula Abdul on a lower dose; Folds and Stockman know what they’re talking about, dawg.

Viewers determine tonight’s winner of the $100,000 grand prize, and the 2½-hour finale will feature performances by the four remaining groups, each with its distinct vibe.

The Backbeats are a Southern California-based coed a cappella “supergroup,” formed by the stars of the collegiate a cappella circuit. The lead singers are all women who specialize in gutsy, emotional ballads (and skirts so short they deserve an NC-17 rating) — and it’s also the only group left that makes an attempt at intricate choreography.

Committed, which has drawn some of the highest praise from the judges, is a six-member all-male gospel a cappella group from Huntsville, Ala. These nice Baptist boys have gradually added a little sex appeal to their performances, but what hasn’t changed are their intricate, soaring harmonies. Streetcorner Symphony is another all-male Southern sextet, but this Nashville group is sometimes funky, sometimes haunting and often at its best when the members are softly blending their voices. They also risk ruining those moments when they attempt to dance. The less we say about that ill-conceived kick line, the better.

Finally, there’s Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town. Lawson was an original member of the longtime a cappella group the Persuasions and joined the San Francisco group Talk of the Town three years ago. Call him a ringer, but Lawson’s smoky voice combined with the group’s straightforward but soulful arrangements get the job done.

They’re all so engaging that judges couldn’t bring themselves to eject one of the groups from the competition last week and sent them all to the finale.

Judging by the pop cultural omnipresence of “Glee” and “The Sing-Off”’s great ratings, it appears there’s a real thirst for glorious a cappella, and I’d love to see NBC re-up the show and perhaps expand the run — as long as they stick to the music and leave out the melodrama.

Next was killing a lot of time until the results were announced. The first 2 groups eliminated were Jerry Lawson and Talk of the town and the Backbeats, leaving the final 2 as Committed and Street corner Symphony. The victory went to Committed.

This was a fun series and amply rewarded with large TV audiences. I think it has a lock on coming back for a third season.